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Summary

Using penetrating, in-depth interviews, examines the individual political development of young adults in post-1960s America, and the roles that news media play in that development.

This groundbreaking book examines the significance of the news media for the political beliefs and behavior of contemporary Americans. Relying on original, in-depth interviews with members of the group known as Generation X, Marco Calavita analyzes the memories and understandings of these individuals' political development dating back to childhood. Specifically, he focuses on the developmental significance of news media engagement in the context of institutions and phenomena like family, peers, schooling, and popular culture. Calavita succeeds where others have failed at exploring the inevitably contextualized and ecological nature of individual political development, and the specific roles of news media in that development. Apprehending Politics illuminates the subtle but fundamental power of news media in who we are politically, and how we got that way.

“Certainly, for anyone in the political socialization area, this is a must read.” — Perspectives on Politics

"Apprehending Politics is a masterful study of the political development of younger citizens. The book sorts out the complex interrelationships between socializing agents and developmental processes, and is an invaluable companion to survey-based studies of political socialization."  Diana Owen, coauthor of New Media and American Politics

"By probing a small sample deeply and over time, Marco Calavita's research reveals the ways people construct their political consciousnesses within contexts shaped and limited by influences, including the media, that they can only partially apprehend and control. This book makes an important contribution to understanding the critical and lifelong processes of political socialization." Robert M. Entman, author of Projections of Power: Framing News, Public Opinion, and U.S. Foreign Policy

"Paying particular attention to the part played by political media in Generation X's coming of age, Calavita combines a discerning ear for ideological ambiguities with a refreshing skepticism toward perceived judgments. Apprehending Politics offers many illuminations and earns a place on the narrow shelf of necessary political socialization analyses."  Todd Gitlin, author of The Whole World Is Watching: Mass Media in the Making and Unmaking of the New Left

"Calavita describes how media interact with other social influences, including friends, family, work, school, and community. The resulting portrait is subtle, recognizing the ambiguities and contradictions inherent in both the media environment and the people studied."  David Croteau, coauthor of Media Society: Industries, Images, and Audiences, Third Edition

Marco Calavita is Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Sonoma State University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

1. Introduction

2. Contemporary American Political Culture and News Media

3. Portraits of Individual Political Development

4. The Ecology of Individual Political Development and News Media: Relationships, Institutions, and Culture

5. The Contours of Ideology and Orientation

6. Conclusion: Recontextualizing Politics and News Media

Appendix One: Methodological Issues

Appendix Two: Questionnaire For Participants

Appendix Three: Partial Interview Protocol

Appendix Four: Gauging Political Values and Beliefs and Political and Civic Involvement/Commitment